The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for providing route guidance to vehicles.
Navigation systems which compute a route for a vehicle designed to bring the vehicle from its current location to a desired location are known.
A document entitled xe2x80x9cDynaMIT:Task C Reportxe2x80x9d, describes a traffic assignment system and notes, inter alia, that xe2x80x9cIn an (ideal) system . . . where there is two-way communication between the traffic control center and every vehicle in the network, perfect information about the vehicle location and possibly its origin and destination, can be obtained. While such perfect systems are possible in the future, most existing surveillance systems are limited to vehicle detectors located at critical points in the network. The information provided by these traffic sensors therefore, must be used to infer traffic flows, queue lengths, incidents, etc., at all locations of the network.xe2x80x9d
Another document discussing pertinent technology is entitled xe2x80x9cDynaMIT:DYnamic network assignment for the management of information to travellers.xe2x80x9d
The disclosures of all publications mentioned in the specification and of the publications cited therein are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved route guidance system.
There is thus provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a route guidance system including a traffic velocity computer operative to receive the following information: a plurality of locations, separated by a known time interval, of at least one vehicle within traffic separating a moving vehicle""s current location from the selected destination, and a route assigned to at least one vehicle within the traffic, and to compute at least one velocity characteristic of the traffic, and a route selecting computer operative to receive a selected destination of the moving vehicle and a current location of the moving vehicle, and to compute a route from the moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the at least one velocity characteristic.
Also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a traffic velocity monitoring system including a representation of an area in which traffic travels, a vehicle location monitor operative to receive vehicle location information, from a multiplicity of moving vehicles, as to their current location, and a per-vehicle velocity computer operative to derive, from the vehicle location information and the representation, an average velocity of at least one individual moving vehicle from among the multiplicity of moving vehicles.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system also includes a global velocity computer operative to receive average velocities of each of a plurality of vehicles from the per-vehicle velocity computer and to compute therefrom an average velocity of traffic including the plurality of vehicles.
Additionally provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance system including a traffic information accumulator operative to accumulate up-to-date information characterizing traffic including a route assigned to at least one vehicle within the traffic, and a route selecting computer operative to compute a route from a moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the traffic characterizing information.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the route computed by the route selecting computer is fed back to the traffic information accumulator and is employed by the accumulator to generate anticipated traffic information estimating characteristics of traffic separating a future location of the moving vehicle from the moving vehicle""s selected destination.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the route selecting computer includes a dynamic route selecting computer operative to provide the moving vehicle with ongoing modifications of the route at least partly as a function of the anticipated traffic information.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the route selecting computer randomly selects at least a portion of at least one vehicle""s route from among several candidate route portions for that vehicle, the random selection being biased by the relative merits of the candidate route portions for the vehicle.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the traffic information accumulator is also operative to receive up-to-date information characterizing permanent and/or transient road conditions in road segments separating the vehicle""s current location from the vehicle""s selected destination.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transient road conditions include states of multi-state traffic governing elements.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-state traffic governing elements include at least one of the following: a traffic light having more than one possible schedule, and a digital sign displaying any of a plurality of route-guiding messages.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the traffic information accumulator is operative to provide information to the multi-state traffic governing elements and the multi-state traffic governing elements are operative to select a state at least partly in response to the information.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the accumulator includes a traffic flow simulator operative to generate at least some of the anticipated traffic information.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information characterizing traffic includes quantitative information.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the route selecting computer includes a multiplicity of independent route selecting units located within each of a multiplicity of vehicles respectively.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the route selecting computer includes a central unit operative to compute a route for each of a multiplicity of vehicles and to transmit each vehicle""s route to that vehicle.
Also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance system including a traffic velocity computer operative to accept a plurality of locations, separated by a known time interval, of at least one vehicle within traffic separating the moving vehicle""s current location from the selected destination, and to compute at least one velocity characteristic of the traffic, and a route selecting computer operative to receive a selected destination of a moving vehicle and a current location of the moving vehicle, and to compute a route from the moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the at least one velocity characteristic.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the route selecting computer is operative to compute and display an estimated arrival time for the moving vehicle.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system also includes a route display unit operative to display to a driver of the moving vehicle, at least one driver direction derived from the route.
Also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance method including receiving the following information: a selected destination of a moving vehicle, a current location of the moving vehicle, and a plurality of locations, separated by a known time interval, of at least one vehicle within traffic separating the moving vehicle""s current location from the selected destination, and a route assigned to at least one vehicle within the traffic, computing at least one velocity characteristic of the traffic, and computing a route from the moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the at least one velocity characteristic.
Also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a traffic velocity monitoring method including providing a representation of an area in which traffic travels, receiving vehicle location information, from a multiplicity of moving vehicles, as to their current location, and deriving, from the vehicle location information and the representation, an average velocity of at least one individual moving vehicle from among the multiplicity of moving vehicles.
Also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance method including accumulating up-to-date information characterizing traffic including a route assigned to at least one vehicle within the traffic, and computing a route from a moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the traffic characterizing information.
Further provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance method including providing the following information: a selected destination of a moving vehicle, a current location of the moving vehicle, and a plurality of locations, separated by a known time interval, of at least one vehicle within traffic separating the moving vehicle""s current location from the selected destination, computing at least one velocity characteristic of the traffic, and computing a route from the moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the at least one velocity characteristic.
Also provided, in accordance with still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance system including a traffic quantifier operative to receive the following information: traffic location information describing a location of at least one vehicle within traffic separating a moving vehicle""s current location from the selected destination, and a route assigned to at least one vehicle within the traffic, and to compute at least one quantitative characteristic of the traffic, and a route selecting computer operative to receive a selected destination of the moving vehicle and a current location of the moving vehicle, and to compute a route from the moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the at least one quantitative characteristic.
Also provided, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance method including receiving the following information: a selected destination of a moving vehicle, a current location of the moving vehicle, and a route assigned to at least one vehicle within the traffic, computing at least one quantitative characteristic of the traffic, and computing a route from the moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the at least one quantitative characteristic.
Further provided, in accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, is a route guidance system including a traffic quantification computer operative to provide a quantitative characterization of traffic separating the moving vehicle""s current location from the selected destination, and a route selecting computer operative to receive a selected destination of a moving vehicle and a current location of the moving vehicle, and to compute a route from the moving vehicle""s current location to the moving vehicle""s selected destination, at least partly as a function of the quantitative characterization.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method also includes employing a global average velocity of a sample of moving vehicles to estimate average velocity of traffic.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the traffic characterizing information employed by the route selecting computer includes information regarding anticipated traffic.